Mindsiege

by Heather Sunseri

  “If that were really what you wanted, you would have run when you had the chance. After you escaped on the train, you would have headed straight for the bus station. I know you took the money and everything to start college under a different identity. If you had wanted that, you would have gone.”

  A tear escaped down my cheek, and Jack wiped it away.

  “But you didn’t. You didn’t run. And I think it’s because you know you owe it to yourself and to your father to at least know who you are.”

  “And I owe it to you,” I whispered. I sniffed hard, my nose running from crying and from the cold night air. “I didn’t leave… because I couldn’t leave you.”

  Jack crushed my body to his. His fingers laced into my hair, and he pushed my head into his polo sweater. “It’s time for you to start learning more about your abilities.”

  I pushed back. Wiping at the moisture I left on his shirt, I said, “Okay.”

  He crooked a finger under my chin and lifted. “Okay?”

  I nodded.

  “As you learn more about your powers, I think you’ll also learn how to shut Jonas out.”

  I so wanted that.

  “Now, come.” He pulled on my hand.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s time you met Addison.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  A girl the size of a pixie bounced up and down on the hospital bed like it was her personal trampoline as we entered. Jet black hair hung in a stringy mess. Sky blue eyes lit up the entire room.

  I paused just inside the door and studied the small child, just eight years old. My eyes must have widened, because Jack bowed his shaking head. A smile reached all the way to his eyes. “Lexi Matthews, meet Addison.”

  Addison stopped. Her grin grew to the size of a half moon, and shined like the North Star. She jumped up one last time, lifted her legs, and bounced on her bottom before propelling herself to stand on the floor. “Oh my gosh! You’re Lexi?” She ran the short distance and threw her arms around my waist in a big hug. “I can’t believe you’re finally here.”

  I traded glances with Jack. He covered his mouth and choked on his own laughter. “Hey,” Jack tugged on Addison’s arm. “What about me?”

  “You didn’t bring me out of that stupid coma.” Addison hugged me again, knocking me off balance.

  Jack visibly cringed at Addison’s words.

  She didn’t mean that like it sounded.

  “No, of course I didn’t,” Addison said.

  I jerked my head toward her, but she had let go and was flitting back to her bed. I found Jack’s eyes. “She can hear anything and everything,” he said. “It’s as annoying as it sounds.”

  “Yes, but don’t worry.” Addison waved me off. “I don’t repeat stuff. Unless I think you’re gonna get yourself in trouble.” She stared at me like she wanted to say more. Like she knew something.

  “Okay, enough with the introductions. Let’s sit,” Jack pointed to a chair in the corner for me. He crossed the room and got another one. “Addi, where are Cathy and your mom?”

  Addison was quiet. She peered up at the ceiling. “Mom went home. I told her to get some sleep. Your mother”—Addison said “mother” like it left a bad taste in her mouth—“is in the dining hall with Dr. Wellington.”

  “You know that’s exactly where they are, or that’s where they said they were going?” I had a sneaky suspicion it was the former.

  “Addison can also sense where people are at all times. If they’re close by.”

  “Seriously?” I asked. “Where is… uh… Briana Howard?”

  She considered it. “In the parking lot.”

  “Why is she in the parking lot?” Strange.

  “Um… she’s…” Addison narrowed her eyes, then gave her head a quick shake. “I don’t know. She’s talking to someone. I can hear her, but not… him. Yes, definitely a him.”

  “So, obviously not Kyle, since he’s the only other guy on campus besides me who you should be able to hear.” Jack sat and crossed his arms. “She can sense where anyone is, but she can only hear clones’ thoughts.”

  “Uh-huh,” she agreed matter-of-factly.

  “So, you have the equivalent of a Marauder’s Map in your head?” I asked.

  “Marauder’s Map. From Harry Potter?” She giggled. “I guess I do.”

  “It comes in handy,” Jack said. “Like when Addison wants to sneak out of the house for one reason or another.”

  “So, Lexi,” Addison said, uninterested in Jack’s memory. “When are you going to tell Jack about Jonas?”

  The muscles along the back of my neck tightened one by one. I stared at Addison while I searched my mind for any sign of Jonas. My hands shook.

  “He’s not there. I’ve looked,” she reassured. “And he won’t kill Jack.”

  “How did you…”

  “Know?” she asked. “I can hear and see every one of the clones, if they’re close. And I can sense where regular people are, too. I’ve been monitoring your conversations with Jonas since you came back to Wellington.”

  I swallowed that nice and slowly.

  “What is she talking about, Lex? Tell me what?” He looked at Addison. “I already know Jonas, or somebody, is inside her head.”

  I stood and walked away from their probing eyes. Addison remained quiet while I wrung my sweaty hands.

  “You can tell him. I’ll block Jonas from hearing.”

  Despite Addison’s words, I could feel the weight of that carving knife against the palms of my hands, and how the slick surface fit inside my tight grip. I would not let someone hurt Jack. Could Addison really block Jonas?

  Yes, I can. Jonas can’t get into your head while I’m with you.

  “From hearing what?” Jack said behind me. “Someone, please tell me what you two are talking about.”

  I turned. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to.” I walked close to him. He slid his hand into mine. “Jonas plans to force me to heal Sandra.” Only it might not really be Jonas.

  “How can he do that?”

  “The same way he practically forced me to drown myself. The way he made Kyle burn his arm.” I met Jack’s concerned gaze. “The same way he compelled me to hold a knife pointed at your chest while you slept last week.” A tremor moved through me at that memory. I tried to pull my hand away from Jack, but he gripped it tighter. I fought hard against the emotion building inside my chest as I gasped for a breath.

  Standing, he pulled me to him, circling his arms around me in a tight hug. “You wouldn’t have hurt me.”

  “I didn’t have a choice,” I mumbled into his chest, my body shaking. “I almost drove a kitchen knife into your heart.” I shook my head, trying to free the memory. “I tried to wake you.”

  “You did.” Jack pushed me back. He cupped my cheeks into his hands. “You did wake me. I woke that morning because I heard you screaming my name. I thought it was part of my dream, but I was hearing you. You wouldn’t have hurt me.”

  Tears slid down both sides of my face. Jack wiped them away with his thumbs. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  “You two are cute,” Addison said behind us. “But we’ve got to move on.”

  “You know, Addison talks like a thirty-year-old.” A hysterical chuckle escaped my throat.

  Jack smiled. He leaned in and touched his lips to mine. “I know. She’s also very bossy. And has an IQ beyond something you or I can comprehend.”

  “And I have ears,” Addison said. “I can hear you, you know.”

  Jack led me back to the chair. Once I was sitting, he rubbed my shoulders. “We have to figure out why Jonas wants Sandra healed so badly.”

  “And why he keeps threatening to make me hurt you,” I added.

  “That part’s easy,” Addison said. “Jack is the most important person in your life.”

  Jack’s fingers slid a little farther toward the base of my neck and hairline. I was thankful he couldn’t see how red my face was. But he knew
how much he meant to me, didn’t he?

  Addison continued. “Jonas knows that, and he’s using it against you.”

  “It doesn’t make sense, though,” Jack said. “He helped me rescue Lexi when we wrecked. He was so upset when Lexi ran the other day, saying she shouldn’t be roaming alone. And he was mostly concerned because Lexi still hadn’t admitted to wanting to know the extent of her powers.”

  Something didn’t add up. Jonas claimed I would see everything more clearly once he had gotten into my head. He thought everything would make sense to me, not confuse me the way it had. Then he had led me to the facility near…

  Addison cocked her head, her eyes probing mine. “There’s something you’re not telling us.”

  I rose from the chair and walked out of Jack’s reach. Immediately, I constructed barriers around my mind. Something prevented me from revealing more.

  Jack stretched his fingers wide at his sides, then closed them into fists. “She can’t.” He turned to me. “Can you? Jonas is there.”

  I looked quickly from Jack to Addison. “You lied. You told me you could block Jonas from hearing me.” Defeat and disappointment tinged my voice. I had trusted this girl I had only just met. Why? Because she was like a sister to Jack?

  Addison shook her head quickly back and forth. She looked more her age as she reacted. “No! I didn’t lie. I did block him. He couldn’t hear anything you’ve said. It’s someone else.” Addison squinted. “Are you sure it’s Jonas?”

  I shook my head. “Jonas has all but admitted he’s inside my head, but only some of the times. It’s Jonas I see when he speaks to me. But sometimes, his demands go against everything else I’ve learned or know about him. He claims he’s not always in control of the mindsiege.”

  Jack stormed toward me. “Lexi, listen to me. You have to find a way to push this person out.”

  I felt Jack slide into my head. Instead of pushing him out, I let him in. I can’t feel Jonas inside my head the way I feel you, I told him. If I wanted to, I could push you out right now. Your presence has hard edges, ones I can get leverage against. Jonas’s is like a cloud. As soon as I get a handle on him, he morphs into a different shape.

  I searched my mind further and found Addison. She was like a water balloon. I pushed on it and felt resistance. It moved with my touch, but it wasn’t as easy to shove away as Jack’s.

  Allow me. Jack eased further in, and his hard edge knocked up against Addison’s softer one. I nudged my barriers up against her too, and suddenly, she was gone completely from my mind.

  “Very nice.” Addison clapped like a little kid watching a circus. Fitting, since I felt very much like part of a three-ring act at times.

  “So, how do we get Jonas out?” Jack asked Addison.

  Why was he asking her? How would she know this?

  Her smile fell away. “From what I’ve learned so far, I’m afraid you can’t.”

  “Why not?” Jack and I asked at the same time.

  “Someone else is controlling Jonas so that it always looks like it’s Jonas inside her head.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jonas remained enemy number one for now. He could claim someone else was controlling him; Addison and Jack tried to convince me of the same. But as far as I was concerned, Jonas was the one slithering around inside my mind like a serpent.

  “You sure know how to show a girl a good time.” I nudged Jack’s shoulder.

  He walked me back toward the dorm. Before we came into sight of the security guard that stood at the entrance, he pulled me behind a tree.

  I stumbled against him, laughing, but his hand to my elbow steadied me. “We’ve got a few minutes before curfew.” He lifted my chin. The worry I was becoming accustomed to was back on his face.

  I reached up and massaged the line between his eyes. “If someone wanted to hurt me, they would have already.”

  His expression didn’t change. “Something feels terribly wrong. How much of your father’s journals have you made it through?”

  “A lot, but so much of it is technical science stuff that I don’t understand.”

  “You feel like getting away from here tomorrow? After the swim meet. We can spend the night at my house. Use a more secure Wi-Fi?” Jack tugged on my jacket, pulling me even closer. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “Pull an all-nighter?”

  I laughed. He made poring through science journals sound hot. I peeked up through my lashes. “Addison thinks Jonas and I are marionettes. Someone is pulling both of our strings. And she’s right, isn’t she?”

  “That’s my fear.” Worry overflowed the trenches across his forehead. “Question is who. And why your strings, and not mine or Kyle’s?”

  “Or Bree’s. Why can’t someone pull hers instead?”

  Jack smiled. “You don’t mean that.”

  “No, I don’t.” I reached up and played with the sandy hair that lay across his forehead. He needed a haircut. What a normal thing to think about, I mused. “I better go.”

  “Yeah.” He leaned in and brushed his lips across mine. His hand slipped under my jacket and shirt until he touched bare skin. “You better go.” He pulled me closer, smiling against my face.

  “That’s not helping,” I giggled, but made no effort to pull away.

  He leaned his forehead against mine. “Part of me is sorry we didn’t run Friday night. We could be spending more of our time doing this.” He kissed me again.

  “Shh. No regrets. We do what we’ve gotta do until we’re on the other side of this.” Whatever this was. “We’ll have more time for other stuff later.”

  “Promise?” he asked, and I nodded. “I knew you were strong the moment I met you.” His voice was almost a whisper and somewhat strained. “But I’m sorry I didn’t run from you when I realized you were like me. I loved you even then, before we met. But if I had run then…”

  I cupped my hand over his mouth and stared straight into those intense sapphire eyes. “Then we wouldn’t have met, and I would have been left to fend for myself when the IIA and Jonas found me. And they would have.” I shivered, wondering where I would be now had Jack not eased me into the truth of what we are.

  “Maybe.” He hugged me closer. His fingers spread wider against my back.

  “No, not maybe. Definitely.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. Jack lifted me in a hug so that my face was even with his. I leaned in and kissed the spot below his ear and continued down his neck. “If you hadn’t found me…” My voice cracked a little.

  “Shhh. You’re right. There’s no use playing the what-if game.”

  I nuzzled his neck and swallowed against the lump that formed. The warmth of his hand against my bare skin made me want to curl up inside his jacket and let him smuggle me inside his dorm.

  I tried to hide a yawn, but Jack was onto me. He let me slide to my feet. “We both could use a good night’s sleep.”

  I pulled back. “Until tomorrow then.”

  “Tomorrow,” he agreed, then leaned in for one last goodnight kiss.

  ~~~~~

  The tingle of Jack’s kiss lingered on my lips as I approached my dorm room. I touched my mouth, unable to contain a smile. How could my life be so messed up, yet so right when Jack was near? I shouldn’t have avoided him this past week, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I were to cause something terrible to happen to him.

  Dad had called Wellington a safe haven for the clones he had recently discovered. Only, Wellington wasn’t my safe haven: Jack was.

  I dug in my purse for my room key. It was just after the eleven o’clock curfew. The hallways were eerily quiet for a Friday night.

  No one was in the common area on my floor. The lights had already been dimmed.

  Just as I lifted the key to the lock, I smelled it.

  Smoke.

  Not now, I thought.

  I immediately began searching the edges of my mind for the invasion. If I was quick enough, maybe I could push Jonas out.

  “It’s n
o use, Sarah.”

  The little hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention at the sound of Jonas’s voice directly behind me. When his fingers slid into my hair and grabbed the back of my neck, every muscle along my spine tightened.

  “I’m not only inside your head,” he whispered right next to my ear. “I’m right here.” His breath warmed my neck. His fingers spread up through my hair, and he guided my head to face him.

  My eyes met his. Instead of the warm amber that I sometimes found in Jonas’s eyes, I faced cold black, his pupils dilated, leaving only a small perimeter of brown.

  “What do you want, Jonas?” Though the grip he had on my neck made it difficult, I cocked my head just slightly. Was someone controlling him, forcing his actions the way I sometimes forced others’? “Or… are you ready to tell me who you really are?”

  The boy before me smiled an evil, lopsided sort of grin. “You’d like it if you could place another name on this version of me, wouldn’t you, Sarah? You like the kinder, more gentler Jonas, don’t you?”

  I was powerless in his grip. I could smell the fear emanating from my racing heart and my trembling limbs. But I answered him. “Yes, I do.” And I did. When Jonas was being kind, he was easy to like.

  He leaned closer to me, his face inches from mine. “I see why Jonas likes you, too.”

  I searched his eyes for his true identity, but all I saw was Jonas.

  Then realization dawned. “Ty,” I whispered, and the corners of his lips tilted farther up, reaching all the way to his dark eyes. His presence glided in and around my mind, leaving me drunk from the quick movements of this complete invasion. “What do you want?” I asked again.

  “You will come with me.” He forced me to turn, and gave me a little shove back down the hallway.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  ~~~~~

  Getting past the security of the dorm and into The Program was not a problem for someone who had one hundred percent control over the mind of another.

  Keep going, he mindspoke. We moved quietly down the hallway in the basement of the infirmary and entered the room I was becoming all too familiar with. Sandra hadn’t moved. The machines around her were silent. Lights blinked to confirm that her heart still beat.